Dated: 09 April 2009

Drivers are warned to check all tyres

The RAC Foundation has warned that not only is a flat tyre a major danger on the road but it could also completely setback your car insurance no-claims bonus.

The Foundation strongly recommends checking all five wheels on your vehicle before and over the Easter holidays to ensure a safe journey on any getaways. It is thought that 40 people are killed and scores injured a year in crashes which are caused by faulty or wrongly inflated tyres.

Whether the Fifth wheel, the spare, has been used or not, it should be discarded after six years due to the rubber drying out over time causing distortion and failure to work correctly.

Spokesman Philip Gomm has stated: "Tyres deteriorate with age. Just because it has sufficient tread, this doesn't make it safe. Check carefully for signs of cracking and ageing.

"If in doubt, ask an expert. Manufacturers recommend that tyres be replaced if they are more than 10 years old, and drivers can find the date of production stamped into the rubber of the sidewall. Unfortunately, only half the driving population know this information is there."

As well as the obvious safety risks, tyres that are under-inflated can lessen fuel economy by as much as 10%.